Straight answers to practical questions about driving, travelling, parking and getting around Northern Ireland.
You can submit a claim to the relevant road authority, but payment is not automatic. The outcome depends on the facts, evidence and whether legal liability can be established.
Record the other vehicle if identifiable, preserve dash-cam footage and photographs, report dangerous debris where necessary and notify your insurer. Recovery depends on proving responsibility.
Stop only where it is safe, avoid approaching an injured wild animal, contact police if the animal is causing danger or there has been injury or significant obstruction, and notify your insurer about vehicle damage.
Stop safely, deal with any immediate danger and follow the legal reporting duties that apply to collisions involving certain animals, as well as notifying your insurer.
It depends on your insurance and the circumstances. Comprehensive cover may respond to accidental damage, while recovery from an animal owner would depend on whether there is a legal basis for holding them responsible.
The driver or insurer legally liable for the collision normally has to address third-party property damage, subject to the evidence and policy cover.
Liability depends on the facts and negligence of those involved. Your insurer may initially deal with your vehicle and third-party property damage under the policy, then consider whether recovery from another responsible party is legally possible.
Prioritise personal safety, warn other traffic only if it is safe, leave the vehicle if appropriate and move to a safe place away from traffic before calling emergency services or recovery.
If nobody is injured and the vehicles are creating danger or obstruction, moving to a safe place can be sensible once key evidence is recorded, but follow police directions and do not move a vehicle where doing so would be unsafe or inappropriate.
If it is safe, photograph the vehicle positions, damage, road layout, signs, markings, weather, debris and any relevant hazards, and keep the original files.
Exchange factual information and cooperate with legal duties, but avoid making unnecessary admissions about legal liability at the roadside. Give an accurate account to police and insurers.
Usually yes. Insurers commonly require notification of any collision or loss, regardless of fault and even if you do not intend to make a claim.
Get to safety, record the vehicle and witness information if possible, preserve dash-cam or CCTV evidence, report the incident to PSNI promptly and notify your insurer.
Record what you safely can, including the registration, location and evidence, and report the collision to PSNI because the normal exchange-of-details requirement has not been satisfied.
No. Not every minor damage-only collision requires police attendance, but you must still satisfy the legal duties to stop and exchange details and should report it where those duties cannot be completed or other reportable circumstances apply.
If the legal exchange-of-details requirements are not satisfied, or where injury and other reporting conditions apply, the collision should be reported to police without delay and within the legal time limit.
You should exchange your name, address, vehicle registration and, where relevant, the vehicle owner’s details with the other party. Insurance details are also useful and are commonly required by insurers.
No. Protection generally preserves the discount entitlement under the policy rules; it does not guarantee that the underlying premium will stay the same.
Possibly, especially if the insurer recovers its outlay, but no-claims-discount rules vary by insurer and are not the same thing as the overall premium.
Illegal or seriously defective tyres can affect liability, roadworthiness and how an insurer handles a claim, especially where tyre condition contributed to the collision.
An expired MOT does not automatically answer every insurance claim, but it can create serious legal and policy issues. The insurer will look at the policy terms, roadworthiness and whether the defect or status was relevant to the loss.
Comprehensive insurance often covers accidental storm-related vehicle damage, subject to the policy terms, excess and exclusions.
Comprehensive policies may cover flood damage, but the exact cover and exclusions are policy-specific. Do not deliberately drive into floodwater and expect every loss to be covered.
Not usually as a standalone wear-and-tear or breakdown event, although roadside-assistance cover may help with changing or recovering the vehicle.
Standard motor insurance generally covers insured events such as collisions, theft or fire, not ordinary mechanical failure or wear and tear unless a specific add-on applies.
Often you can, but using a non-approved repairer may affect courtesy-car arrangements, guarantees, authorisation or how costs are handled. Check with the insurer before repairs begin.
The excess is the part of an insured loss you are responsible for under the policy. Whether and how it is collected depends on the type of claim and repair arrangement.
No. Premiums are risk-priced, so comprehensive cover can sometimes cost the same as or less than more limited cover. Compare like-for-like quotes rather than assuming.
Third party, fire and theft adds cover for specified fire and theft losses to the basic third-party liability cover, while comprehensive policies also provide cover for damage to your own vehicle subject to terms and exclusions.
Third-party-only cover is the legal minimum type of motor cover and is intended to cover liability for injury or damage you cause to other people and their property, not damage to your own car.
